Travelodge is opening six new UK hotels in the run-up to Christmas, including one in Edinburgh.

Hotels opening over the next 12 weeks include one Travelodge Plus, two featuring SuperRooms, three new towns getting their first Travelodge, and four hotels with an on-site restaurant called the Bar Cafe.

As well as the Scottish capital the hotels will be located in Chippenham, Wiltshire; Rochester and Sittingbourne in Kent; and Beckton and Dagenham in east London , creating 135 jobs.

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Shakila Ahmed, of Travelodge, said: "Despite the uncertainty facing the UK, the long-term prospects for low-cost hotels remain strong.

"In the lead-up to Christmas, we are extending our hotel network and creating jobs.

"We are focused on ensuring that we can give consumers the right choice, in the right place, at the right price."

Vodafone has announced plans to test innovative open radio technology in the UK, which it said can help connect more rural communities to the internet.

The move by the telecoms giant could also help to break the grip Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia have on the telecoms equipment network.

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OpenRAN (Open Radio Access Networks) has been designed by Vodafone and Intel to standardise the design of hardware and software in the infrastructure, masts and antennae which make up the network carrying mobile calls and data.

Vodafone said the open network technology could introduce a new wave of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technology vendors to improve supply chain resilience.

Marmite maker Unilever has announced plans to halve the amount of virgin plastic it uses by 2025 as part of a major sustainability push.

The consumer giant, which also owns household brands such as Ben & Jerry's and Dove, said it will cut more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic packaging out of its supply chain through new commitments to reduce waste.

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The sustainability drive is one of the first key moves by chief executive Alan Jope, who has continued to sharpen the firm's green credentials, set by previous boss Paul Polman.

Unilever has promised that by 2025 it will halve the amount of virgin plastic - plastic that has not previously been used or processed - by reducing its total use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes and accelerating its use of recycled plastic.

It said that by 2025 it will also help collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells in an attempt to partly offset the environmental impact of the business.